User:TheScientistApprentice

Biogeochemical Processes
The surface water density in the Ross Gyre is higher during the summer and winter because of higher salinities found in the area.

Salinity has been recorded to be decreasing in the past years. The change in salinity is the same as increasing freshwater to 18mm at a depth of 100m. the southern area of the Ross Gyre is the one with the strongest changes in salinity recorded.

Not a lot of information about the nutrients in the Ross Gyre is known. There are a few different nutrients present at the surface of the Ross Gyre. Phosphorus concentrations in this area have been measured to be 1.6-1.9 μg-at/l, nitrate nitrogen concentrations 24-26 μg-at/l, and dissolved silicon concentrations 35-60 μg-at/l. A ratio of 0.66±0.02 for Def(Si)/N-C-P at the north area of the Ross Gyre. This ratio measured is less than the ratio of 0.11±0.04 that was found in the southwestern Ross Sea. To this day, there are several Argo floats that have navigated and continue to do so in the Southern Ocean, and more specifically in the Ross Gyre. Argo floats are deployed at different sites of the oceans around the Earth and collect data such as temperature, salinity, and nutrients. In recent years, Argo floats deployed in the Ross Gyre have measured temperatures between -1.0-2.5°C ± 1°C, salinity between 33.8-34.6 ± 0.2 PSU, and nitrate concentrations between 26-32 ± 1 μmol/kg. During the summer, partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO₂), Nitrate (NO⁻ ₃), and Phosphate (PO₄³⁻) are lowest, and total carbon dioxide (TCO ₂), total alkalinity (TALK), and SiO32- are the highest. This could be explained by the mix of continental matter into the water as the Ross Gyre picks up sediments from the shelf. Studies have shown a high density of sequestered particles in the Ross Gyre, which may indicate carbon sequestration in this area.